Female contraceptive devices

ABSTRACT

A female contraceptive device known as an IUD is made of a filamentary material and includes at least one sheet having a size and shape conforming to the uterine cavity and extending across the entire interior of the uterine cavity during use of the IUD. The filamentary material may be composed of dissimilar metals which generate microvoltages. After the size and shape of the uterine cavity is determined, the sheet is manufactured in conformity with this size and shape, and it is then introduced with one device which includes a tube and a flexible resilient wire on which the IUD is initially rolled so that it can be unrolled in the interior of the uterine cavity after being displaced out of the tube after the latter has been situated in the mouth of the uterus. The IUD may have along its periphery a hem for receiving a wire which can be pulled with the IUD into a tube for the purpose of removing the IUD.

United States Patent 1191 Bucalo 14 1 Dec. 17, 1974 [73] Assignee: Investors in Ventures, Inc., New

York, NY.

22 Filed: Feb. 8, 1973 211 Appl. No.: 330,621

[75] Inventor:

[52] U.S. Cl. 128/130 [51] Int. Cl. A6lf 5/46 [58] Field of Search 128/127, 128, 129, 130, 128/131 [56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 662.716 11/1900 Gaedeke 128/130 709,675 9/1902 Hollweg 128/130 2,122,579 7/1938 Meckstroth 128/130 3,559,641 2/1971 Lay 128/130 3,703,896 11/1972 Nuwayser 128/130 3.734.090 5/1973 Shubeck 128/130 Primary Examiner-Richard A. Gaudet Assistant Examiner-G. F. Dunne Attorney, Agent, or FirmSteinberg & Blake ABSTRACT A female contraceptive device known as an IUD is made of a filamentary material and includes at least one sheet having a size and shape conforming to the uterine cavity and extending across the entire interior of the uterine cavity during use of the IUD. The filamentary material may be composed of dissimilar metals which generate microvoltages. After the size and shape of the uterine cavity is determined, the sheet is manufactured in conformity with this size and shape, and it is then introduced with one device which includes a tube and a flexible resilient wire on which the IUD is initially rolled so that it can be unrolled in the interior of the uterine cavity after being displaced out of the tube after the latter has been situated in the mouth of the uterus. The lUD may have along its periphery a hem for receiving a wire which can be pulled with the IUD into a tube for the purpose of removing the IUD.

SHEET 20F 3 FIG. 7

PATENTEL DEC] 71914 SHEET 3 OF 3 FEMALE CONTRACEPTIVE DEVICES BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to female contraceptive devices known as IUDs.

As is well known, use is made of an IUD (intrauterine device)for the purpose of preventing conception. Thus, it has long been known that almost any wire or the like located in the uterine cavity will reduce the possibility of conception. Many such devices are known, but with all of the known devices certain problems are encountered. In the first place, they are uncomfortable since in many cases they press against the interior surface of the uterus and cause irritation as well as discomfort. Furthermore, the known devices are difficult to introduce and remove.

Attempts have been made to determine first the size of the uterine cavity and then to provide an IUD of a proper size, but it does not infrequently happen because of inaccuracies in measuring techniques that the first device which is made and used is of an improper size and must be replaced by another device.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is accordingly a primary object of the present invention to avoid the above drawbacks.

In particular, it is an object of the present invention to provide an IUD which will not irritate the uterus and which will be extremely comfortable to use.

In addition it is an object of the present invention to provide an IUD which has for its volume an extremely large area so that an exceedingly effective IUD is achieved.

In addition it is an object of the present invention to provide an IUD which not only can cover the entire interior space of the cavity but which in addition is capable of following the pulsating movements of the uterus.

In addition it is an object of the present invention to provide an IUD which is capable of generating microvoltages which will effectively kill sperm and eggs encountered in the uterus.

It is also an object of the present invention to provide a device which can very effectively be used for introducing and removing an IUD.

According to the invention the size and shape of the uterine cavity is determined and then a sheet of filamentary material is manufactured according to this size and shape, whereupon this sheet of filamentary material is introduced into the uterus. The size and shape of the uterine cavity may be determined either by an X-ray or by utilizing a suitable tool for this purpose. The filamentary material used for the IUD may be made of a pair of dissimilar metals, such as gold and platinum, so that an EMF will be generated, creating microvoltages which will serve to render sperm and eggs in the uterus ineffective for purposes of conception. A device according to the invention which includes a tube and a flexible resilient wire is also used for the purpose of introducing the IUD of the invention as well as removing it from the uterus.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS The invention is illustrated by way of example in the accompanying drawings which form part of this application and in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective illustration of a device which may be used for determining the size and shape of the uterine cavity;

FIG. 2 shows how the device of FIG. I is used; FIG. 3 shows an IUD of the invention in the uterus;

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary illustration of the filamentary structure of the IUD of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a transverse fragmentary partly sectional elevation taken along line 5-5 of FIG. 4 in the direction of the arrows and showing further details of the filamentary sheet material which forms the IUD;

FIG. 6 is an example of another form of filamentary material which'may be used in the IUD of the invention;

FIG. 7 illustrates a further form of filamentary material which may be used in the IUD of the invention;

FIG. 8 is a front elevation of an IUD of the invention made up of a pair of sheets;

FIG. 9 is a transverse sectional elevation of the structure of FIG. 8 taken along line 9-9 of FIG. Sin the direction of the arrows and showing the structure at a scale which is enlarged as compared to FIG. 8;

FIG. 10 is a front elevation of a further embodiment of an IUD according to the invention;

FIGS. 11 and 12 are respectively transverse sectional elevations of the IUD of FIG. 10 respectively taken along lines llll and l2l2 of FIG. 10 in the direction of the arrows and showing further details of the IUD of FIG. 10 on a scale which is enlarged as compared to FIG. 10;

FIG. 13 is a perspective illustration of a device according to the invention which may be used for introducing an IUD into the uterine cavity;

FIG. 14 is a transverse section of the structure of FIG. 13 taken along line l4-l4 of FIG. 13 in the direction of the arrows and showing the structure at a scale which is enlarged as compared to FIG. 13;

FIG. 15 shows the IUD OF FIGS. 13 and 14 when it has been situated in the uterine cavity; and

FIG. 16 shows how the structure of FIGS. 13-15 may be used to remove the IUD.

DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS According to one feature of a method of the invention, the size and shape of the uterine cavity is first determined. For this purpose it is possible according to the invention to take an X-ray of the uterus so that from this X-ray a gynecologist will know the exact size and shape of the uterine cavity. However, according to another embodiment of the invention, it is possible to use, in order to determine the size and shape of the uterine cavity, a device as shown in FIG. 1. This device includes an elongated tube 20 of any suitable metal or plastic, this tube being open at both of its ends and having a length which corresponds in general to the length of the mouth of the uterus. Thus, FIG. 2 shows schematically a uterus 22 having the tube 20 introduced into the elongated mouth 24 of the uterus.

Situated within the tube 20 is an elongated flexible resilient wire 26 which also may be made of any suit able metal or plastic. This wire 26 is bent backwardly upon itself so that a pair of parallel wire portions are situated within the tube 20, as shown in dotted lines in FIG. 1. A free end 28 of the wire 26 is fixed in any suitable way to the tube 20 so that this end 28 does not move with respect to the tube 20. If desired the entire right portion of the wire 26 which is shown in dotted lines in FIG. 1 may be fixed to the inner surface of the tube 20 extending longitudinally therealong. For exam ple, it is possible to weld the right portion of the wire 26, as viewed in FIG. 1, to the inner surface of the tube 20.

With the device of FIG. I initially having the condition shown in FIG. 1, this device is introduced into the mouth of the uterus so that the tube 20 will occupy the position shown in FIG. 2. Then the gynecologist will displace the left elongated portion of the wire 26, as viewed in FIGS. 1 and 2, into the interior of the uterus so that the wire 26 will form a loop 30 extending along the periphery of the uterine cavity 32. The physician will feel resistance to further movement of the wire into the uterus so that the physician will know when the loop 30 has been formed as illustrated in FIG. 2.

The wire 26 carries a plurality of graduations 34, and when the wire 26 has the condition shown in FIG. 2 the gynecologist will note which of these graduations is situated at the free end of the tube 20 which is distant from the uterine cavity 32. Then the physician will retract the wire back into the tube 20 and'remove the structure of FIG. 1 from the uterus. Thereafter the wire can again be displaced toward the condition shown in FIG. 2 with the same graduation 34 located at the free end of the tube 20 which is distant from the cavity 32 in FIG. 2, so that by way of this size of the loop 30 resulting from the initial measurement it is possible for the gynecologist to determine the proper size and shape for the IUD.

Once the size and shape of the uterine cavity 32 has been determined, a sheet of filamentary material will be manufactured having this size and shape and forming the IUD of the invention. Such a sheet 34 is shown in FIG. 3 which also shows a string 36 attached to the IUD to facilitate removal thereof. The filamentary sheet 34 is stitched, for example, along its peripheral edge to prevent unravelling. It is possible to weave the sheet 34 from any desired fabrics, plastics. or metals which are compatible with the body.

As is shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 it is possible according to a further feature of the invention to manufacture the IUD 34 from rows of links 38 arranged in the manner illustrated in FIGS. 4 and 5 with the ends of the links of one row overlapping the ends of the links of an adjoining row, and transverse filaments 40 are extended through the overlapping ends of the rows of links as illustrated most clearly in FIG. 5. Thus endless filaments are used to form the links 38 while transverse elongated filaments 40 interconnect the rows of links to form an IUD having the structure which is shown in FIGS. 35. The elongated links 38 extend longitudinally which is to say in the general direction of the elongated mouth 24 of the uterus, so that it is possible for the IUD 34 to contract and expand longitudinally in response to pulsations of the uterus, as are normally encountered. Thus, an exceedingly thin highly flexible and fully comfortable sheet material 34 extends across the entire uterine cavity and conforms to the configuration of this cavity even during pulsations of the uterus, so as to provide an exceedingly effective device.

Furthermore, in accordance with a further feature of the invention the elements 38 or these elements and the elements 40 may be made of dissimilar metals so that they will generate an EMF. Examples of dissimilar metals which may be used for this purpose are gold and platinum. With such dissimilar metals tiny microvoltages will be generated in order to have a further deleterious effect on any sperm or eggs which are present in the uterus.

The use of interconnected links as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 is not essential. For example it is possible to form the longitudinally extending elements of the sheet 34 from wavy springy plastic or metal filaments 46 as shown in FIG. 6 or from wavy springy plastic or metal filaments 44 as shown in FIG. 7, and these wavy longitudinally extending filaments are interwoven with transversely extending filaments similar to the fila ments 40 so as to form the sheet 34. In this case also because of the springy flexible nature of the filaments 42 and 44 it will be possible for the IUD of the invention to contract and expand longitudinally in response to pulsations of the uterus.

A further embodiment of the invention is illustrated in FIGS. 8 and 9 according to which a glove-type of IUD is provided. This IUD 46 is formed from a pair of sheets 48 and 50 each of which may have any abovedescribed constructions, with these sheets being connected to each other at their periphery by the stitching 52, as illustrated in FIGS. 8 and 9. In order to introduce the IUD 46 it may be gathered and placed on the pair of legs of a wire 26 as shown in FIG. I initially within the tube 20, after which the tube 20 is placed in the mouth of the uterus and the wire pushed into the uterus to extend along the inner periphery of the IUD 46 where the sheets 48 and 50 thereof are stitched to each other so as to spread the IUD out into the uterine cavity 32, after which the wire can be pulled back to the position shown in FIG. 1 and the device of FIG. I removed. In this case also it is possible to attach to the device a string such as the string 36 to facilitate removal of the device.

FIGS. 10-12 illustrate a further embodiment of the invention. According to FIGS. 10-12 the IUD 54 is composed of a pair of sheets 56 and 58 which may have any of the constructions referred to above. These sheets are connected to each other along their periphery by a pair oflines of stitching 60 and 62 so as to form a tubular hem 64 which extends along the periphery of the IUD 54, this tubular hem 64 having a pair of open ends 66 and 68 at the location indicated in FIG. 10.

In order to insert the IUD 54 into the uterine cavity, an elongated wire 70 (FIG. 13) is threaded through the tubular hem 64, this wire being introduced first, for example, through the opening 66 so that it will then issue through the opening 68. After the wire 70 has been introduced in this way through the tubular hem 64, the IUD is rolled onto both legs of the wire 70 while the legs thereof are placed one next to the other, and then the entire assembly is introduced into a tube 72 which may be similar to the tube 20 of FIG. 1. Thus, FIG. 14

shows the IUD S4 rolled onto a pair of legs of the wire 70 and situated initially within the tube 72. This tube 72 is then placed in the mouth of the uterus and the wire 70 together with the rolled IUD S4 is pushed into the uterine cavity. As soon as the IUD 54 becomes located entirely within the uterine cavity, the springy wire 7'0 expands so that the IUD 54 assumes the condition shown in FIG. 15. With the IUD 54 of FIG. 15 situated within the uterus and the parts having the position shown in FIG. 15, the physician will withdraw the wire 70'and the tube 72 so as to leave the IUD S4 in the uterine cavity.

In order to remove the IUD 54, the gynecologist will first rethread the wire 70 through the tubular hem 64 and will reintroduce the tube 71 into the mouth 24 of the uterus, so that the parts will have the position shown in FIG. 16, this position corresponding to the position of the parts when the IUD 54 was initially introduced. With the parts in the position of FIG. 16 the physician will pull the wire 70 outwardly so that the IUD 54 will gradually collapse and become gathered into the tube 72 together with the wire 70, after which the tube 72 with the collapsed IUD 54 therein and the wire 70 can be removed.

Thus, it will be seen that with the present invention an exceedingly comfortable IUD is provided. For the volume which is occupied by the IUD it covers an extremely large area. At the same time it is extremely comfortable and can readily be introduced and removed in the manner described above without any particular discomfort to the user of the IUD of the invention. Furthermore, it is possible to manufacture the IUD of the invention in an exceedingly precise manner according to the method of the invention described above.

What is claimed is:

1. For use by an individual having a uterine cavity of a given size and shape, an IUD comprising at least one sheet of filamentary material having said size and shape outside of and independent of the uterine cavity so as to be capable of being situated in said cavity extending completely across the entire uterine cavity, said sheet being composed of longitudinally and transversely extending filamentary elements and said longitudinally extending elements, which extend in the general direction of the mouth of the uterus. including means rendering said longitudinally extending elements capable of longitudinal contraction and expansion in conformity with pulsating movements of the uterus.

2. The combination of claim 1 and wherein the filamentary material is composed of at least two different metals for generating mierovoltages which will kill sperm or eggs in the uterus.

3. The combination of claim I and wherein said sheet is composed of a series of links extending longitudinally and forming said means rendering said longitudinally extending elements capable of longitudinal contraction and expansion, and a series of transverse filaments interconnecting said links while permitting them to move longitudinally in conformity with the pulsating movements of the uterus.

4. The combination of claim 1 and wherein said sheet is composed of longitudinal springy elements of substantially wavy configuration which include convolutions forming said means rendering said longitudinally extending elements capable of longitudinal contraction and expansion and which are interwoven with transverse elements.

5. The combination of claim 1 and wherein there are a pair of sheets connected together at their peripheral edges.

6. The combination of claim 5 and wherein said pair of sheets are interconnected at their edges while forming along their peripheral edges a tubular hem.

7. An IUD and device for introducing and removing the IUD, comprising at least one sheet of filamentary material having a size and shape conforming to the uterine cavity and formed along its periphery with a tubular hem, an elongated flexible resilient wire extending through and beyond the tubular hem, and a tube receiving the wire, so that the sheet can be rolled onto the wire while the latter extends through the tubular hem thereof and first introduced into the tube which then can be placed in the mouth of the uterus after which the wire with the IUD rolled thereon can be pushed into the uterus to expand and occupy the entire uterine cavity, after which the tube can be removed and the wire removed from the tubular hem, while to remove the IUD the wire can be threaded through the tubular hem and pulled into the tube after the latter has been placed in the mouth of the uterus.

8. The combination of claim 7 and wherein the IUD includes a pair of said sheets which are joined at their peripheral edges to form the tubular hem. 

1. For use by an individual having a uterine cavity of a given size and shape, an IUD comprising at least one sheet of filamentary material having said size and shape outside of and independent of the uterine cavity so as to be capable of being situated in said cavity extending completely across the entire uterine cavity, said sheet being composed of longitudinally and transversely extending filamentary elements and said longitudinally extending elements, which extend in the general direction of the mouth of the uterus, including means rendering said longitudinally extending elements capable of longitudinal contraction and expansion in conformity with pulsating movements of the uterus.
 2. The combination of claim 1 and wherein the filamentary material is composed of at least two different metals for generating microvoltages which will kill sperm or eggs in the uterus.
 3. The combination of claim 1 and wherein said sheet is composed of a series of links extending longitudinally and forming said means rendering said longitudinally extending elements capable of longitudinal contraction and expansion, and a series of transverse filaments interconnecting said links while permitting them to move longitudinally in conformity with the pulsating movements of the uterus.
 4. The combination of claim 1 and wherein said sheet is composed of longitudinal springy elements of substantially wavy configuration which include convolutions forming said means rendering said longitudinally extending elements capable of longitudinal contraction and expansion and which are interwoven with transverse elements.
 5. The combination of claim 1 and wherein there are a pair of sheets connected together at their peripheral edges.
 6. The combination of claim 5 and wherein said pair of sheets are interconnected at their edges while forming along their peripheral edges a tubular hem.
 7. An IUD and device for introducing and removing the IUD, comprising at least one sheet of filamentary material having a size and shape conforming to the uterine cavity and formed along its periphery with a tubular hem, an elongated flexible resilient wire extending through and beyond the tubular hem, and a tube receiving the wire, so that the sheet can be rolled onto the wire while the latter extends through the tubular hem thereof and first introduced into the tube which then can be placed in the mouth of the uterus after which the wire with the IUD rolled thereon can be pushed into the uterus to expand and occupy the entire uterine cavity, after which the tube can be removed and the wire removed from the tubular hem, while to remove the IUD the wire can be threaded through the tubular hem and pulled into the tube after the latter has been placed in the mouth of the uterus.
 8. The combination of claim 7 and wherein the IUD includes a pair of said sheets which are joined at their peripheral edges to form the tubular hem. 